Shivaay is undoubtedly one of the most ambitious Indian films ever made. The thrilling but vague trailer promised audiences a movie that would rival the sleek action films of Hollywood, and in this specific regard, it definitely does not disappoint. The action is filmed fluidly and there is no shortage of it, with sequences ranging from no-holds-barred car chases through the streets of Bulgaria, to brutal fistfights and gun battles sprawling across the city of Sofia. The cinematography is also absolutely gorgeous, with the camera leaping and diving to capture jagged snow caps of the Himalayan mountainside. However, Shivaay's slick action is deeply contrasted by its disappointing screenplay and characters.
The protagonist Shivaay, for which the film is named after, is himself a bit of a strange character. A daredevil who leaps off mountains for fun and refers to himself in third person, his mannerisms make him un- relatable for the first act of the movie. The romance between Shivaay and Olga is also laughably unconvincing, and supporting characters such as Kancha, Anusha, and Wahab are completely wasted. In fact, if they and their cringeworthy dialogues were removed entirely from the film, the movie would be much better and more focused. One shining light in all of this is Abigail Eames, who plays Shivaay's daughter, Gaura. Eames handles her first major role beautifully, and is wonderfully convincing as the Shivaay's fiery daughter. In fact, Eames and Devgan have great chemistry on screen, and are genuinely believable as a loving daughter and a father who will stop at nothing to save his family.
The film also suffers from strange changes in tone. At one moment, the film will be incredibly dark and heart-pounding, but in the next minute, it will jump to a lighthearted scene, unfortunately breaking all of the well-built tension. The film also requires a suspension of disbelief, as Ajay Devgan runs successfully from hilariously inaccurate gunmen, drives without his foot on the gas pedal, and survives beatings and stabbings with minor inconvenience. While the lack of realism is nowhere as crazy as a movie like Singham, it still is quite puzzling. With the serious criminal and social issue that the movie is based around, a consistently dark and realistic tone would have much better suited this film.
Overall, Shivaay wastes too much time dabbling in its one-dimensional supporting characters, which bring the movie to a mind-numbing length of 3 hours. The film's attempts to mask its weak screenplay behind a thunderous soundtrack don't work, and it often feels like Shivaay's film editor, Dharmendra Sharma, fell asleep at the wheel. Shivaay tries hard to be a more ambitious version of "Taken", but often stumbles due to that very reason. However, if you are willing to overlook the movie's list of flaws in exchange for phenomenal action sequences and convincing performances by Ajay Devgan and Abigail Eames, Shivaay is worth a watch.
The protagonist Shivaay, for which the film is named after, is himself a bit of a strange character. A daredevil who leaps off mountains for fun and refers to himself in third person, his mannerisms make him un- relatable for the first act of the movie. The romance between Shivaay and Olga is also laughably unconvincing, and supporting characters such as Kancha, Anusha, and Wahab are completely wasted. In fact, if they and their cringeworthy dialogues were removed entirely from the film, the movie would be much better and more focused. One shining light in all of this is Abigail Eames, who plays Shivaay's daughter, Gaura. Eames handles her first major role beautifully, and is wonderfully convincing as the Shivaay's fiery daughter. In fact, Eames and Devgan have great chemistry on screen, and are genuinely believable as a loving daughter and a father who will stop at nothing to save his family.
The film also suffers from strange changes in tone. At one moment, the film will be incredibly dark and heart-pounding, but in the next minute, it will jump to a lighthearted scene, unfortunately breaking all of the well-built tension. The film also requires a suspension of disbelief, as Ajay Devgan runs successfully from hilariously inaccurate gunmen, drives without his foot on the gas pedal, and survives beatings and stabbings with minor inconvenience. While the lack of realism is nowhere as crazy as a movie like Singham, it still is quite puzzling. With the serious criminal and social issue that the movie is based around, a consistently dark and realistic tone would have much better suited this film.
Overall, Shivaay wastes too much time dabbling in its one-dimensional supporting characters, which bring the movie to a mind-numbing length of 3 hours. The film's attempts to mask its weak screenplay behind a thunderous soundtrack don't work, and it often feels like Shivaay's film editor, Dharmendra Sharma, fell asleep at the wheel. Shivaay tries hard to be a more ambitious version of "Taken", but often stumbles due to that very reason. However, if you are willing to overlook the movie's list of flaws in exchange for phenomenal action sequences and convincing performances by Ajay Devgan and Abigail Eames, Shivaay is worth a watch.